“6 But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?” that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?” that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”
This is the message of the Gospel. Following the instructions of this message is what results in salvation. This message is provided for us, and is made possible, only because of the saving work of Christ in His life, death, and resurrection. We are enabled to respond rightly only by the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts. Yet, this message outlines something that every person must do to be saved. There are two components to this message: We must confess with our mouth, and we must believe with our heart.
We must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Understood simply, we must declare Jesus to be God. We must acknowledge Him and we must acknowledge that He is worthy of our praise and worship. We must confess Jesus regardless of our earthly circumstances and regardless of whom we encounter. We must confess Jesus unashamedly.
“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” — Matthew 10:32
However, to confess, “Jesus is Lord” is more than to simply acknowledge Him. To confess, “Jesus is Lord” also means that you acknowledge the truth of God’s words, that you believe the truth about God as the Creator of all things, and that you must orient your life in such a way so as to reflect God’s glory and give unto Him the worship He deserves. To confess, “Jesus is Lord” is to proclaim to God and to others that you will live a life of obedience in service to God. To live a life of obedience means also to repent of all sinful transgression against God and become a new creation, one who does not desire or give into temptation to sin. When we confess, “Jesus is Lord”, we are saying all of these things about ourselves and are agreeing with God that these statements are true.
To believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is to believe that after Jesus’ crucifixion and death on the cross, after He was buried in the tomb, on the third day, God physically resurrected Him from the dead! Why is the resurrection of Jesus important to our salvation? The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead confirms two things: 1) Jesus is perfect. God would not raise a sinner from the dead and invite him to sit at His right hand on the throne. God cannot be in the presence of sin. If Jesus had sinned, His death on the cross would have been justified, it would have been deserved. This would be terrible news for every Christian. If Christ is not perfect, then His death covers no person’s sin. If Christ is not perfect, then He deserved to die and cannot be raised and ascended to be with God in heaven. 2) Jesus is God. Jesus is the only one to ever be raised from the dead who will never die again.
“But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” — 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (died) and have been raised. The Bible records that Jesus was not the first person in history to be raised from the dead, however, every other person who has ever been raised from the dead did eventually die again. Those who are saved will rise again on the last day, but Jesus is alive even now, sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. Only deity can do this. Only God Himself is capable of being perfect in this way. Only God can be Lord over both the dead and the living.
“Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.” — Romans 14:9
It is for these reasons that belief in the resurrection of Jesus is so crucial to salvation. These things may seem complicated, but the message of the gospel remains starkly simple: Confess and believe. Display for others and to God your commitment to Him by acknowledging Him as Lord in every area of your life. Deny yourself the pleasure of sin, repent for the trespassing of God’s law. Live a life that will bring glory to God’s name, and rely on the gospel of grace when you fail. Believe in Jesus’ resurrection, because it is the lynchpin of your salvation! Believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to cover your sin, and that because of the good news of the gospel, God sees you as a new creation, one that is righteous as His Son Jesus is righteous.